Case Study: Plycurves, Inc.

The road for Plycurves, Inc., has had its share of twists, but
thanks to a commitment to continuous improvement, things have taken an upward turn.

Water skis were one of the first products manufactured by the Grand Rapids-based company.
Since 1947, Plycurve’s clients have ranged from furniture and violinmakers to architectural firms. That focus narrowed to contract furniture seating exclusively when company President/CEO Ron Miller
purchased the company in 1989. Plycurves, now with 60 employees, supplies its molded plywood forms to some of North America’s largest office furniture manufacturers.

Like any other business, success has not come without some challenges. Not satisfied with the
company’s performance, Miller and Plycurve’s newly developed management team (The Right Place) contracted facilitator Curtis Walker began talking to the company about principles of Lean
Manufacturing. One of the company’s first accomplishments came in 2000 when, with assistance from The Right Place, it became the first plywood manufacturer in North America to achieve ISO 9002
registration.

“We had wanted to lower our inventory levels and increase our
flexibility in serving our customers, and the work we’ve done to incorporate Lean Manufacturing has made an incredible difference in our productivity,” Miller said, noting Plycurves has reduced its
in-process time from as much as seven days, to as little as three hours depending on the product. “We’re now looking at lead times of less than one week.”

Timing couldn’t have been better for the kinds of improvements the management team knew were
needed. With Walker's help, the management team reorganized the company’s work processes and plant layout into work cells: each cell manufacturing helped facilitate Plycurve’s move into a new 110,000
square-foot facility. By moving whole cells at a time, the transition was seamless to the company’s customers, Miller explained.

After the November 2001 move, Plycurves continued its efforts
to improve its implementation of Lean Manufacturing practices, reorganizing work cells for greater efficiency. In addition, the company joined the Lean Manufacturing User Group sponsored by The Right
Place Program – an intense, interactive program that helps companies implement the principles of lean manufacturing. Even though Plycurves’ improvement efforts continue, the company already has seen
gains in growth and profitability from reductions in changeovers and work-in-process inventory.

“We’ve experienced about 20 percent compound growth over the
past five years, and we expect that to continue,” Miler Said. “Our expectation is to eventually reach out around the world.”

“This company is an example of what kind of improvement is
possible when a leader like Ron Miller makes a personal commitment to continuous improvement,” said Birgit Klohs, Right Place Program

President. “With assistance from The Right Place Program’s User
Groups and on-site consulting services, Ron has led his firm in their efforts to improve each internal system – from process improvement to human resource development – to become a world class office
furniture supplier.”

Summary of Results

Developed
high-performance work teams

Became first plywood
manufacturer in U.S. to become ISO 9002 registered